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The chief justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court is asking lawmakers to reorganize the state’s judicial districts to help alleviate heavy caseloads in some courts.

The changes would reallocate judgeships from areas that have light caseloads and consolidate some circuit and district court districts around the state.

Chief Justice John Minton said the gradual migration of people to more urban areas has thrown the current system out of balance.

“We have several locations where we have judges who are working at less than a 50 percent workload. That’s an imbalance that really is intolerable,” Minton said during a presentation to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“We’re doing a disservice to the people of Kentucky if we don’t address these issues.”

Kentucky is divided into 57 judicial circuits that hear cases dealing with felonies, lawsuits and property disputes. It also has 60 judicial districts that hear misdemeanor cases, violations of local ordinances and traffic cases.

Some family courts — which are part of circuit courts, but have separate judges — have been hit especially hard by heavy caseloads.

Minton singled out the family courts in the 28th Circuit, which includes Lincoln, Pulaski and Rockcastle Counties and the 54th Circuit, which includes Boone and Gallatin Counties for having the heaviest caseloads per judge.

“Family law cases […] are on time constraints, particularly when they deal with children,” Minton said. “Routine motions that aren’t set up on time constraints — like custody matters and support matters that are very important — can’t be heard for months.”